Chapter 35: Asura
With the help of Shadow, who had turned back into his original grimoire form, Luo Jian managed to find Feng Yu Lan huddled within a tree hole. However, they were apparently too late. There was already another person standing directly outside of the opening. Duan Li crouched down before the hole, stretched out his arms, and carefully carried Ah Lan out, hugging him to his chest. Feng Yu Lan’s entire body was covered in blood; his clothes were drenched in crimson, and both of his eyes were shut tight, motionless. In a trance, Duan Li gently held the other in his arms.
“It appears as though my task has nearly been accomplished.” Duan Li sensed Luo Jian’s arrival. He didn’t bother turning around as he spoke. “I thought I could play for a bit longer, but it seems that this little thing couldn’t handle it, ah. In my hands…he was even more fragile than gla.s.s.”
Now that the target was no longer alive, the tree vines began to wither; one by one, the vines rapidly dried and shriveled before everyone’s eyes. It was only a matter of seconds before all the plants died, collapsing limply to the ground. With the sun having yet to rise, the forest was shrouded in darkness; only the cool, silvery light of the moon, gently spilling in through the leaves and softly hitting the forest ground, illuminated the surrounding area. The morning star had already risen, signaling the arrival of the first light of the day, signaling…dawn’s advent.
“Give my Ah Lan back to me.” Violent chills wracked Luo Jian’s body, but he had no choice but to maintain his composure.
“You wish to have a mere corpse?”
“Even if it is just a corpse, it doesn’t belong to you.”
“Oh, but…he already belongs to me.” Duan Li tightened his grip on Feng Yu Lan, possessively dragging the other closer to his chest, and turned to face Luo Jian.
Luo Jian raised his chin and ferociously glared at Duan Li, “He’s dead! You’ve already completed your mission, so I’m begging you, just let him go already!”
“Hah! Luo Jian, you really underestimate me too much! You honestly think I can’t tell whether or not he’s truly dead?” Duan Li remained unmoved. “I haven’t received any notifications from the chambers, indicating that this task has officially been completed. That being said, even though this lovely little target of mine looks dead, he is very much still alive.”
Afterwards, right before Luo Jian, Duan Li abruptly lowered his head, and to Luo Jian’s horror, he kissed Feng Yu Lan’s ice-cold lips.
“You…” This scene rendered Luo Jian speechless. Utterly stunned, he could do nothing but gape at Duan Li in shock.
“Luo Jian, I’ve changed my mind.” Duan Li suddenly announced. “Do you know what the consequences are if I don’t complete my task? If I fail to kill this lovely little thing within twenty-four hours, I will be punished by the chambers. If he doesn’t die, the one who’ll end up dropping dead would be me—I’ll be the one to die in his stead.”
“What are you getting at?” Luo Jian couldn’t make sense of what the other was trying to say, but a strange premonition lurked in the back of his mind.
“I don’t want to die. But I also don’t want him to die.” Duan Li wrinkled his brows and glanced down at Feng Yu Lan who was in his arms. His frown grew deeper. “It’s strange; I feel so weird. I shouldn’t have these feelings in the first place, but every time I look at him, I feel this inexplicable sadness. Why is that?”
He simply couldn’t fathom it; just how could he feel such emotions? They haven’t even known each other for more than twenty-four hours, but for some unexplainable reason, he felt that the man in his arm suddenly became so heavy, so heavy that Duan Li didn’t have the courage to move him, much less pick him up; this strange feeling was especially strong the moment Duan Li caught sight of the other lying there, breathless and covered in blood.
All of a sudden, he felt cold, he couldn’t breathe. It was as if a freezing hand came to strangle his neck, choking him; he could feel his life gradually being ripped away from him. Agonizing sorrow overcame him in that instant. No one else’s death could evoke such deep emotions in Duan Li, but this person was different. Yet, in the end, Duan Li couldn’t put a finger on why he thought the other was so different.
Should I pay such a big price and suffer the consequences, for a human being who has nothing to do with me? Duan Li reasoned that it wasn’t worth it, but at the same time, he couldn’t let go. He hugged Feng Yu Lan even tighter. For the first time in his life, he felt he had lost control of everything; all of his plans were slipping through his fingers like sand.
“f.u.c.k it, what the h.e.l.l, let’s just take this gamble. Whether I win or lose, I’ll just leave it to fate. If I don’t have the guts to bet with my life, then my name isn’t Duan Li.” While muttering this to himself, Duan Li shook his head and sighed deeply. He propped up Ah Lan’s body with his own, rounding Ah Lan’s waist with one arm and letting him lean on his chest. He then waved his right arm. Luo Jian immediately felt something disappear from his side. He bowed his head and looked down, only to find that the tang dao, which was originally secured at his waist, had magically returned to Duan Li’s hand.
Duan Li s.n.a.t.c.hed his own weapon back, but he had no intentions of attacking. He flipped the knife in his hand, and unexpectedly put the blade against his own neck. Luo Jian was beyond confounded at Duan Li’s actions, but he didn’t dare act rashly either; after all, who knew what this abnormal fellow was planning to do in the end? At this very moment, Luo Jian placed all of his attention on Feng Yu Lan. Feng Yu Lan was currently in a state of suspended animation, but he absolutely could not be hurt or even slightly injured at this time; otherwise, he would no longer be in a deathlike state, but actually dead.
But contrary to expectations, Duan Li had no plans to injure the other. He placed the blade against his own neck, pressed hard with the razor-sharp tip, piercing the thin skin. As Duan Li dragged the knife across his neck, viscous blood began flowing down the fresh, shallow wound.
Naturally, the neck was amongst one of the most delicate and vital parts of one’s body, for many major arteries ran though this area, which was why even the smallest of wounds could produce a lot of blood. And yet, Duan Li couldn’t care any less about the river of blood pouring down from his neck. The blood ran down his clothes onto Feng Yu Lan, who was still caught in his embrace, and both of their blood eventually merged into one. Duan Li remained silent for a moment. No sooner, a whisper fell from his lips.
【Interdependent Contract—Established!】
【d.a.m.n it!】In this instant, the grimoire in Luo Jian’s hand flew up by itself. Countless words frantically began to form on the fluttering pages of the magic tome. Unfortunately, Luo Jian couldn’t catch a single word, and the grimoire seemed too impatient to explain to Luo Jian, so it directly changed into its human form.
Shadow, who had now a.s.sumed the form of a human, could still float in the air just as he could when he was a grimoire; if not all, he was incredibly swift. He charged straight at Duan Li; he acted so fast, that Luo Jian didn’t even have the time to respond. At that very moment, Duan Li raised his head and shot a glance at the other, only to be left in shock.
Feng Yu Lan was clearly still in his arms, so how could there possibly be another one right before his eyes?
Nevertheless, Shadow didn’t have much control over his actions, and he certainly didn’t have the patience to deal with the other. He pounced over, reaching out with his arms, to seize Feng Yu Lan back, even at the cost of a fight. But, of course, how could Duan Li just let the other s.n.a.t.c.h him like that? Naturally, it was impossible to take anything from under Duan Li’s nose, and Duan Li would definitely not let him take hold of Ah Lan. He tightened his hold on the one in his arms, pulling him closer into his embrace. He couldn’t help but ask a question at the sight of Shadow, “Who are you?”
Shadow didn’t answer him. He viciously glared at Duan Li, and once again reached out both his hands to grab Feng Yu Lan who was trapped in Duan Li’s arms. Trembling in rage and restiveness, he spat out between his gnashed teeth, “Give. Him. To. Me!”
“Who are you?!” Duan Li was more than startled by this situation, but he stubbornly repeated his question.
“He’s mine!” growled Shadow. The feral look he directed at Duan Li was filled with heavy bloodthirst and murderous intent. “He is me, and I am him. And you have no f.u.c.king qualifications to establish any s.h.i.tty contract with him! Because I won’t allow it!”
Duan Li fell silent for a moment, then he unexpectedly burst into laughter. He seemed to have come to a conclusion after observing Shadow for a while. Smiling, he said, “But the contract has already started. You might as well just prepare yourself. If you two truly are the same person, then the contract will affect you, too.”
Shadow hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t understand what was going on, and while he was still trying to sort his thoughts, something shocking happened! The blood on Duan Li’s body began twisting around like vines, as if it possessed life. The strips of blood soon turned into scarlet ribbons and quickly twined around Feng Yu Lan’s body, and Shadow, who had grabbed Feng Yu Lan’s arm, was caught in the same predicament! The ribbons of blood were relentlessly coiling around his arms, gradually spreading and winding around his entire body.
Feeling anxious, Shadow desperately tried pulling off those vile crimson ribbons, but the ribbons began wrapping around him even more, persistently twirling around their bodies. These blood-red ribbons were similar to those tree vines, except these were undeniably more beautiful.
“It seems that you two truly are one person, and the contract applies to you, as well.” Duan Li let out a chuckle. He slowly approached Shadow and narrowed his eyes at him. A twisted grin crept onto his face, and he began to laugh wickedly, “Don’t be afraid, my beautiful little treasure. It won’t hurt. I will make you happy.”
On the opposite side, Luo Jian finally returned to his senses and noticed the situation was far from good. He wanted to rush forward to do something, but everything happened so fast, and the moment he decided to move, something unbelievable happened. In a blink of an eye, Duan Li, Feng Yu Lan and Shadow vanished right in front of him!
Struck utterly dumb, Luo Jian remained motionless in the same spot. The surrounding trees and vines began to wilt rapidly, and the ma.s.sive coc.o.o.n of vines soon collapsed, becoming a pile of dirt in an instant. Luo Jian’s complexion had turned beyond pale by now, and he merely stood in the same spot, still stuck in a daze. His mind was blank, his hands were quivering; he simply couldn’t comprehend what just happened. The trace of white gradually emerged at the sky’s horizon; at long last, the break of dawn had arrived.
“What happened?” Thirteen and fourteen, who were located outside of the coc.o.o.n of vines, spotted Luo Jian’s figure just then.
Luo Jian was absent-minded for a long time. His emotions were running wild, and his mind was a chaotic mess. He slowly turned around and stared vacantly at the masked man. His eyes were dull and red, and desolation was written all over his face. He howled wretchedly, “My Ah Lan has been taken! He’s been taken from me!”
Thirteen and fourteen looked at each other in dismay and sheer shock.
※※※※※※※
“You’ve come back.” When Xing Yan opened his eyes, he caught sight of a figure sitting in the usual same position, completely motionless; the other didn’t even raise his head or look him in the eyes when speaking. With long hair flowing down his waist, scattering around him, and his head bowed low, the figure was practically the living embodiment of Sadako.
“It seems as though I’ve returned…” Xing Yan’s deep and low voice was so velvety and magnetic, captivating almost anyone who listened to it, but his tone was intimidatingly cold.
The seated figured proceed to ask, “Where did you disappear off to?”
Xing Yan’s face was void of all emotion as he observed his surroundings. His eyes took in the vast ravine enclosed by towering mountains that rose above the clouds; this entire valley was simply a huge circle confined by these tall mountains. And Xing Yan and the others who remained in this valley were like mere frogs trapped at the bottom of a well. The sky above their heads was as red as blood; there was no sun, no moon, not even a single star.
There were many corpses strewn around this valley, and there were also many figures aimlessly wandering about. Sometimes, a corpse would suddenly get up, but it would soon be cut down by one of those figures. All their eyes could see was a shower of blood, and all their ears could hear were shrill screams of misery; this world of gore and grotesquerie was all they knew. Obviously, fights broke out everywhere in this valley, and carnage and bloodshed would naturally follow. Yet strangely enough, despite the savagery entrenching the place, no one dared approach the area Xing Yan was located. He and the long-haired man leaned against some rocks near the base of the mountains, and not a single shadow came close within a hundred meters of the two.
The name of this great valley was called “Crimson Asura Realm”. Various battles occurred all year round in this ravine. Every second, bizarre creatures and dead souls would come back to life, climbing out from underneath the soil, and partic.i.p.ate in this kill-or-be-killed grisly death match
Some players would be sent to this dreadful Crimson Asura Realm after being in contact with heaven-defying artifacts or other dark mechanisms, unlocking this inescapable penalty scheme set by the chambers. These players were doomed to remain here for eternity. Even after death, their souls would be bound to this ravine, and once seven days pa.s.sed, they would, once again, be resurrected and continue fighting for their lives; such a vicious cycle was simply never-ending.
Furthermore, the Crimson Asura Realm was also the check point for all stalkers. Stalkers were able to move between any s.p.a.ces or chambers freely, and sometimes the chambers would even a.s.sign them to unknown regions; however, the area where a great majority of Stalkers mainly stayed in was this exact region, the Crimson Asura Realm.
Yet, interestingly enough, the Crimson Asura Realm wasn’t considered a part of the chambers. Legend had it that a terrifyingly formidable player with monstrous strength had created this independent realm. This fearsome player’s purpose for creating such a separate, mysterious realm was unknown. Not a single soul knew how or why this player did such a thing; all they knew was that he created it, successfully constructing a s.p.a.ce that existed in the chambers but that wasn’t under the chambers’ jurisdiction or scrutiny.
Though in the end, this realm sadly lost its creator. No one knew whether this powerful player escaped these infinite chambers; he simply vanished from the chambers, only leaving behind this unowned s.p.a.ce as proof of his existence. But because this s.p.a.ce no longer had a creator to control it, its power went rampant, chaos ensued, and it wasn’t long before this realm resembled an unstable black hole. If something was tossed inside this region, it would no longer be able to get out, and so the chambers simply considered this room to be a large waste disposal, where all the unwanted trash, defective monsters and even useless players, would be thrown in.
Because the chambers had given Stalkers the ability to travel between s.p.a.ces and realms, these hunters could come and go whenever they pleased. In fact, even though fights broke out in every corner of this area and corpses were scattered almost everywhere, many Stalkers actually found this region to be quite pleasant, because this was the only area where they wouldn’t be monitored by the chambers; this was the only region the chambers could not control.
“I was summoned out.” Xing Yan nonchalantly answered the long-haired man’s question. Right after replying, he casually sat down on the ground. It was as if the brutality surrounding him had absolutely nothing to do with him.
“Oho? How interesting, how remarkable. For someone to be able to summon a Stalker is quite impressive… So, where did you go this time?” The long-haired man seemed to be grinning, but it was a pity that his long hair covered more than three-fourths of his face; if not all, because he lowered his head even more and because the change in his expression was not clearly visible, he started looking increasingly similar to the horrifying Sadako.
“Reality. I went to the real world.” The Stalker pulled out his dagger and a handkerchief from G.o.d-knows-where and began to clean the blade meticulously.
“Can summoning actually return you to reality?”
“It may be reality for you, but for me, it’s merely another s.p.a.ce.”
“Don’t say that. You used to be human, as well.”
Xing Yan turned around. As he stared at the long-haired man, his scarlet eyes burned holes into the other. He then curled his lips and let out a grim chuckle, “Haven’t I already told you? The real Xing Yan is dead. As for me? I am merely someone wearing his skin and using his name…a monster…”
“Born in the darkness, the shadows are your parents.” The long-haired man smiled helplessly. “Have you ever thought about becoming a human being?”
Xing Yan remained silent. He kept his head bowed and continued studying the knife in his hand. His finger trailed lightly across the cold, sharp blade, which reflected his bright crimson eyes. These d.a.m.ned eyes were clearly the eyes of savage beasts, cruel and ferocious.
“I do not wish to become a human, nor would I probably ever become one.” Xing Yan said dryly. He suddenly paused, as if he remembered something. A soft smile came over his features as he asked, “Hey, Ying, I would like to ask you, are humans warm?”
“Warm?” The long-haired man was somewhat puzzled at this question. He took a moment to think, then admitted, “I honestly don’t remember anymore. Back when I was still human, I was probably warm, but after coming here…”
All of a sudden, the long-haired man held up his arms, touched his right hand with his left hand, and laughed bitterly. Sighing, he finished his previous statement, “I can’t feel anything. No temperature, no warmth, nothing at all.”
In the Crimson Asura Realm, sometimes time would come to a complete stop, and other times, time would flow backwards. Every monster and player who arrived here possessed a different time flow. If one was killed, they would be able to come back to life, resurrecting over and over again; they were practically immortal. They simply could not die and would forever be tormented by this endless cycle of being killed, reliving every death experience for eternity.
They could not escape their cruel fates. As a matter of fact, many had also given up on the idea of escaping it. There were a few individuals who still chose to fight, trying to break free of this cage of suffering. But there were also others who had long lost all hope, wallowing in pessimism and desolation; without any care for whether they came back to life or died for the millionth time, these wretched individuals remained utterly motionless in one spot, deciding to close their eyes and sleep for a long, long time.
Their bodies turned ice-cold, their hearts no longer beat, yet they were still considered alive, they were still able to move and communicate. It was all very strange, and also frightfully terrible.
“You know, Xing Yan, you are the only Stalker I have met who is capable of speaking. Why do you think that is?” Ying curiously remarked. “The other Stalkers I came across in the past never said a word whenever I tried talking to them; they just never replied to anything I said. Later, I learned that Stalkers lost all ability to communicate through language. However, you are different.”
Xing Yan hesitated slightly, before replying, “I am actually the same. In other regions, I cannot speak like the other Stalkers. It’s just this place that is different for some reason.”
The Stalker lifted his head and gazed at the blood-red sky of the Crimson Asura Realm. He seemed to be reflecting on this question also. “I can’t recall when I learned how to speak either. It was as if it suddenly came to me one day.”
“That’s very good, nonetheless,” stated Ying. “Language is such an extraordinary thing. Language represents the will of a person… However, if you can only talk in this place, that means the only person you’re able to chat with is me, an eccentric lunatic. What a pity… But speaking of which, didn’t you just ask me if humans are warm? Why would you suddenly want to know such a thing?”
Xing Yan blinked his eyes slowly and announced, “I’ve recently held a human.”
This sentence nearly caused the long-haired man to choke on his spit. He coughed a few of times in an attempt to mask his embarra.s.sment, “Kek kek! Ahem, I must have misheard you… Now, what exactly did you say?”
“I have held a human.”
The long-haired was coughing violently by now. He a.s.sumed Xing Yan knew nothing of the ways of the world so he decided to rephrase his next question, asking it as discreetly and tactfully as possible, “And…how and when exactly did you hold this human?”
“How and when did I hold the human?” Xing Yan c.o.c.ked his head to one side as he pondered this question. “I’ve held him many times, which time are you referring to?”
“Kek kek kek kek kek kek kek kek kek kek!!!”